Nebraska Football Recruiting: Meet Cornhuskers' Class of 2013

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini and his staff have put together an excellent 2013 recruiting class.The Cornhuskers are one of the best teams in the Big Ten, and this recruiting class will only serve to make the program stronger as a whole.

Needs have been met, the depth chart has been filled and we can start discussing Nebraska's stars of the future, today.

Knevel has a ton of potential for Nebraska, if only because of his size alone. At 6'9'' and 285 pounds, he has the size to be a star left tackle at the college level. Tackle is a huge area of need for Nebraska, so Knevel will have an inside track to compete for the starting role. He's enrolled early, which means he'll have a chance to learn the scheme and the coaching staff before any other tackle recruits can.

Depth at linebacker is going to be very important for Nebraska in 2013, so Love is a great recruit to have enrolled early. He'll come in and be an important backup to David Santos, Michael Rose, Trevor Roach, Jared Afalava and Max Pirman.

D.J. Singleton

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'3''

Weight: 200 lbs.

Position: S

Stars: 3-star

High School: St. Peter's Prep (N.J)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Wisconsin

Commit Dates: Enrolled: 1/7/13

Analysis:

Singleton will be able to come in and compete to get into the rotation as a safety right away. He has very good size for the position, and the early enrollment will give him a chance to at least get some early looks. With Corey Cooper looking to have one safety spot locked up, look for Singleton to be in the competition for the other as a freshman. At the very least, he'll see the field as a special teams guy right away.

Randy Gregory

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 240 lbs.

Position: WDE

Stars: 4-star

High School: Arizona Western College

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Purdue

Commit Dates: 11/1/12

Analysis:

There's a good chance Randy Gregory will see a good amount of playing time in year one. At 6'5'' and 240 pounds, he has very good size, and he runs a 4.70 40 according to 247Sports. He'll be able to compete to get into the rotation at defensive end behind Jason Ankrah or Avery Moss. Gregory will also be a good situational player as a pass rusher because of his speed.

Marcus Newby

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 210 lbs.

Position: OLB

Stars: 4-star

High School: Quince Orchard High School (MD)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Maryland, Oklahoma

Commit Dates: 7/2/12

Analysis:

Marcus Newby will compete for a rotational spot at linebacker as a freshman, and he'll definitely be a great special teams player right away. He's ranked as the No. 20 outside linebacker in the class of 2013 according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, so he's obviously very talented. He'll likely find himself in a rotation behind Zaire Anderson, Jared Afalava and Max Pirman, He'll also be competing with early enrollee, Courtney Love for that rotational spot.

Terrell Newby has the chance to be very good for Nebraska. He's ranked as the No. 11 running back in the 2013 class according to the 247Sports composite, so he's a huge recruiting pickup for the Cornhuskers. As far as 2013 is concerned, a redshirt may be the best option. Ameer Abdullah and Braylon Heard should get a majority of the carries, and there's also Imani Cross, who should get some looks. There's no need to rush Newby into the fold.

Josh Banderas

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'2''

Weight: 215 lbs.

Position: 4-star

Stars: ILB

High School: Southwest High School (NE)

Senior Stats: 119 TCK

Other Finalists: N/A

Commit Dates: 4/12/12

Analysis:

Banderas is an elite in-state recruit for Nebraska. He's the No. 12 inside linebacker in the 2013 class the No. 1 player from Nebraska both according to the 247Sports Composite. He'll come in right away and compete for the starting job at linebacker, and there's a good chance that he can beat the likes of Dave Santos, Trevor Roach or Michael Rose for the position as a freshman

Drake Martinez is the younger brother of Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, so he'll be coming in with a lot of expectations. At 6'2'', 205 pounds, he's ranked as an outside linebacker by 247Sports, but he can also play safety or even running back.

Dwayne Johnson

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'6''

Weight: 275 lbs.

Position: OT

Stars: 3-star

High School: Bellaire High School (TX)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Arkansas

Commit Dates: 2/5/13

Analysis:

Johnson has great size for an offensive tackle, and he combines that with good speed. He runs a 5.20 40 according to 247Sports. He recently just committed to Nebraska and he's a big pickup for the Cornhuskers.

Adam Taylor

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 210 lbs.

Position: RB

Stars: 4-star

High School: Katy High School (TX)

Senior Stats: 2,754 YD, 44 TD

Other Finalists: Oklahoma

Commit Dates: 11/16/12

Analysis:

Adam Taylor is another very good running back who will be an impact-player one day for Nebraska. He's a big running back who will be strong between the tackles, and he's ranked as the No. 18 player at the position according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Taylor could take a redshirt, but it may depend on what Terrell Newby does. Either way, those two backs project to be a great two-back combo for Nebraska in the future.

Is it possible that Johnny Stanton is the quarterback of the future for Nebraska? He has good size at 6'2'' and 215 pounds, and he's ranked as the No. 11 duel-threat quarterback in 2013 according to the 247Sports Composite. He has the talent, but he may want to redshirt in order to best prepare for the starting gig competition with Tommy Armstrong Jr. once Taylor Martinez moves on.

Chongo Kondolo is a big offensive line pickup for the Cornhuskers. He has great size at 6'4'' and 290 pounds, and he's the No. 17 JUCO offensive tackle in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite.

With Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed gone, expect redshirt senior Jake Long to step into the full time role. That doesn't mean that Cethan Carter would be able to compete though, and he'll be a main option in the coming years after Long runs out of eligibility. Carter has very good size for a tight end, and he has a ton of potential.

A.J. Natter

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 240 lbs.

Position: WDE

Stars: 4-star

High School: Milton High School (WI)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Minnesota, Iowa, Vanderbilt

Commit Dates: 4/16/12

Analysis:

A.J. Natter is a recruit with a ton of potential, and he, along with Randy Gregory, should work himself into the rotation at defensive end. Natter should also be a very productive special teams player right away. He represents a very big recruiting win for for Nebraska. According to the 247Sports Composite, Natter is the No. 12 weak-side defensive end in the country.

Ernest Suttles

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 220 lbs.

Position: WDE

Stars: 3-star

High School: Gaither High School (FL)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Iowa State

Commit Dates: 1/14/13

Analysis:

Suttles has good size coming into the program out of high school, and that alone gives him good potential. He'll be behind on the depth chart behind his classmates Natter and Gregory, though, at defensive end, so he might want to consider redshirting.

Hannon is a very big tackle recruit at 6'5'' and 298 pounds, and he has tremendous potential for Nebraska. Hannon has to be feeling good about his chances of seeing the field, or at least competing for a starting spot in year two. If he takes this year to work on technique and learn the system, he'd be in the running for one of the tackle gigs once Brent Qvale and Jeremiah Sirles move on.

Greg Hart

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 225 lbs.

Position: TE

Stars: 3-star

High School: Archbishop Alter High School (OH)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: N/A

Commit Dates: 5/16/12

Analysis:

Greg Hart is a a good tight end end recruit that checks in at 6'5'', 225 pounds. He's the No. 31 tight end in the 2013 class (247Sports Composite) and he's a big recruiting win out of the state of Ohio for Nebraska.

Maliek Collins

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'2''

Weight: 285 lbs.

Position: DT

Stars: 3-star

High School: Center High School (MO)

Senior Stats: OT

Other Finalists: Iowa

Commit Dates: 1/6/13

Analysis:

Collins is going to be an important depth player on the defensive line for Nebraska. He'll most likely be behind Chase Rome, Kevin Williams, Thad Randle and Vincent Valentine in the rotation, but once the depth chart clears up, look for Collins to compete for a more consistent gig.

Gerry is ranked as an athlete, and he could play both sides of the ball for Nebraska. He'd be a receiver on offense, but chances are the Cornhuskers will opt to play him at safety. His size would work well at safety, as would his athletics. Look for Gerry to be a very productive special teams player as well, early on.

Kevin Gladney has the chance to be a very good receiver for Nebraska. The issue for him is that the Cornhuskers are very deep at wideout in 2013. Kenny Bell, Quincy Enunwa, Jamal Turner and Taariq Allen are the main names to talk about this season. Gladney may want to take a redshirt year here and gain that extra season of eligibility.

Boaz Joseph

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 185 lbs.

Position: CB

Stars: 3-star

High School: Cypress Bay High School (FL)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Kentucky, Purdue

Commit Dates: 1/23/13

Analysis:

In Joseph, Nebraska is getting a big corner who can become a very productive player in the future. He has good height at 6'1'', so he has plenty of potential in their system. He'll be behind Jonathan Rose, Ciante Evans, Andrew Green, Mohammed Seisay and a slew of other corners in year one though, but in time he could crack the rotation as a sophomore, and he definitely could by his junior year.

Finnin is a big JUCO commitment for Nebraska who will make a huge impact for Nebraska as a sub in year one. After that, he's big enough and has enough potential to compete for the starting job with the other offensive tackle recruits in this class.

Kevin Maurice

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'3''

Weight: 270 lbs.

Position: DT

Stars: 3-star

High School: Freedom High School (FL)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Bowling Green

Commit Dates: 1/4/13

Analysis:

Maurice is a commitment with a ton of potential as a defensive tackle. He may be able to work his way into the rotation as a freshman, but considering the rest of the talent coming in through this class, a redshirt could be a great option.

Dimarya Mixon

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'3''

Weight: 265 lbs.

Position: DT

Stars: 3-star

High School: West Mesquite High School (TX)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Missouri

Commit Dates: 2/3/13

Analysis:

Mixon is a big recruit for Nebraska to land, especially considering the Cornhuskers were able to flip him from from Missouri. Mixon has very good size at 6'3'' and 265 pounds, and he runs a 4.90 40 according to 247Sports. He has a very good combination of size and speed, and he has a ton of potential.

Gabriel Miller

Via 247Sports

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 240 lbs.

Position: LS

Stars: 2-star

High School: Penn High School (IN)

Senior Stats: N/A

Other Finalists: Eastern Michigan

Commit Dates: 6/17/12

Analysis:

Gabriel Miller is a long-snapper, which means that he'll be one of the more important players at Nebraska in the next few years. He's ranked as the No. 5 long-snapper in the 2013 class according to the 247Sports Composite, so he represents a big recruiting win for the Cornhuskers.